The present embodiments relate to cableless operation of a medical device.
Medical diagnostic or treatment systems include one or more medical devices for treating a patient. A medical device is operable via one or more control units. A medical device may be, for example, an x-ray recording device, a computer or magnetic resonance tomograph, or an irradiation system.
Operators may operate the medical device from different spatial positions. Medical devices generally communicate with a remote control unit that transmits operating signals to the medical device. The operating signals are, for example, commands for moving equipment, such as adjusting a patient support, or for triggering radiation in the course of an image-recording or irradiation session.
A cableless operating system, such as one based on radio transmission, may be easier to manage and safer than a hard-wired operating system.
In a radio-based operating system, the remote control unit may be intentionally or unintentionally removed from the area surrounding the medical device, such as an examination room. Despite low transmission power, the radio link may still exist outside the room and that a critical system function (e.g. a device movement or a triggering of radiation) will be triggered by accidental actuation of an operating key.
Remote control units with safety-relevant operating functions are generally hard-wired because of the safety concerns, despite the comparatively low ease of operation and the inconvenience caused by the cable.
Because of the safety concerns, cableless remote controls are based on infrared transmission of the operating signals. Infrared transmission requires a visual link for transmitting the operating signals. Accordingly, the possibility of unintentional operating error through walls and closed doors is eliminated. However, only a limited signal transmission range can be achieved with infrared transmission. Moreover, the infrared transmission of operating signals may be obstructed by obstacles in the beam path between the remote control unit and the device.